


To Eat and Sleep with the Earth

by Morbidmuch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cottage prawn, F/M, Fluffy Angst, Post-War, angsty fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24527014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbidmuch/pseuds/Morbidmuch
Summary: They leave Britain after the war.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 8
Kudos: 111
Collections: Hearts and Cauldrons Discord Members, Hot Buttered Cottage Prawn





	To Eat and Sleep with the Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the lovely [turtle_wexler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtle_wexler/pseuds/turtle_wexler) and alpha'd by the wonderful [Q_Drew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Q_Drew)

They leave Britain after the war.

The press won't leave them alone; they all want to know how Severus survived and the nature of their relationship and “is it true you were married when Miss Granger was still a student?” Hermione gets spat at in the street, is called a Death Eater whore, and she takes it all with her head held high. She doesn't care about them; they don't matter. She curses at them and burns the howlers and doesn't let them get to her, because _they don't matter_.

The only thing that matters is them.

Hermione and Severus.

He is in poor health after Nagini's venom and years of living off of coffee and stress and toast. He hates the cane he has to use, thinks it makes him look like Lucius and neither bring up that Lucius is a soulless shell in Azkaban and will never twirl his cane again.

It takes them until September to decide to leave; when Hermione is attacked on her way home from the store. The bruises heal quickly but the rage remains.

“I don't want to stay here anymore,” she says, looking at him through a swollen eye and feeling her split lip starting to bleed again. “I don't care where we go as long as it's not here and as long as I'm with you.”

He nods, tries to look reassuring, but he is _fuming_. If he ever finds the people who did this he's going to make them pay. They'll see what kind of man he really is. “I'll make some inquiries.”

Three days later they are shrinking their meagre belongings to fit into her beaded bag and hugging the Weasley's goodbye – well, she's hugging them and they are looking warily at him – before heading to the Ministry to catch their Portkey.

They land in Stockholm without much trouble, and after registering with immigration they head out from the arrival hall. MartinLindberg greets them with a reserved smile and a wave. Severus met him years ago at a Potions conference, and they have sporadically kept in touch through two wars and an outbreak of Mad Moose Disease.

“I have arranged a Portkey,” Martin says as they move from international arrivals to national departures. “It will take you to the edge of the property, so just follow the gravel road and you will get to the house.”

Hermione smiles tightly. “Thank you.”

They emerge in the middle of a forest, and the leaves on the surrounding trees have already shifted into tones of yellow and orange and red. The gravel crunches underneath their shoes as they follow the narrow road through the trees. The wards envelop them, feel out their magic and bind it together and then the house appears. Small and red with white windows, it sits among large spruces and birch treesand overlooks a lake. On the other side is nothing but more trees, and Hermione finally feels like she can breathe.

They explore the house and the land, moving slowly as Severus' feet stumble slightly over the uneven ground. Standing at the edge of the jetty and looking out over the trees and the sunshine glittering on the surface of the lake, Hermione leans her head on Severus' shoulder.

“We'll be all right here. Won't we?”

“We will,” he replies.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Loathe it? Love it? Let me know.
> 
> Come chat with me on [Tumblr!](https://morbidmuch.tumblr.com/) I'm friendly and sometimes funny.


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